Mobile app of the day: TED

TED is a non-profit organisation that's been pursuing its mission since 1984. That mission is a simple one – to spread ideas. These days an awful lot of what TED does is delivered via videos which are known as TED talks. These are made available on the web at www.ted.com, but you don't have to rely on the website. Apps for Android and iPhone can get you to the TED talk videos too – and give you access to a few neat extra features.

You can, for example, see new and popular talks or search talks via a feature the app calls 'surprise me'. Pick this and you can then cut the range down by topic – how about watching talks that are funny, informative, fascinating or, my favourite, jaw-dropping.

You can download talks to view later, and they're 18 minutes long at most. This makes them ideal for using commuting time for something educational and inspiring rather than the same old music you listen to every day.